Development of Pyridothiophene Compounds for PET Imaging of α-Synuclein.

Aggregated α-synuclein (α-syn) protein is a pathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD) and Lewy body dementia (LBD). Development of positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracers to image α-syn aggregates has been a longstanding goal. This work explores the suitability of a pyridothiophene scaffold for α-syn PET radiotracers, where 47 derivatives of a potent pyridothiophene (asyn-44; Kd=1.85 nM) were synthesized and screened against [3H]asyn-44 in competitive binding assays using post-mortem PD brain homogenates. Equilibrium inhibition constant (Ki) values of the most potent compounds were determined, of which three had Ki's in the lower nanomolar range (12-15 nM). An autoradiography study confirmed that [3H]asyn-44 is promising for imaging brain sections from multiple system atrophy and PD donors. Fluorine-18 labelled asyn-44 was synthesized in 6±2 % radiochemical yield (decay-corrected, n=5) with a molar activity of 263±121 GBq/µmol. Preliminary PET imaging of [18F]asyn-44 in rats showed high initial brain uptake (>1.5 standardized uptake value (SUV)), moderate washout (~0.4 SUV at 60 min), and low variability. Radiometabolite analysis showed 60-80 % parent tracer in the brain after 30 and 60 mins. While [18F]asyn-44 displayed good in vitro properties and acceptable brain uptake, troublesome radiometabolites precluded further PET imaging studies. The synthesis and in vitro evaluation of additional pyridothiophene derivatives are underway, with the goal of attaining improved affinity and metabolic stability.

Regio- and stereoselective monoepoxidation of dienes using methyltrioxorhenium: synthesis of allylic epoxides.

Methyltrioxorhenium (MTO) complexed with pyridine was shown to be a highly effective catalyst for the regioselective monoepoxidation of conjugated di- and trienes using 30% H2O2 at or below room temperature. The resultant allylic epoxides, and the triols derived from them, are versatile synthetic intermediates as well as substructures present in many bioactive natural products. The site of epoxidation was dependent upon olefin substitution, olefin geometry (Z vs E), and the presence of electron-withdrawing substituents on adjacent carbons. For 1-acyl(silyl)oxypenta-2,4-dienes, epoxidation of the distal olefin was generally favored in contrast to the adjacent regioselectivity characteristic of Sharpless, peracid, and other directed epoxidations of hydroxylated dienes.

Chronic blockade of 20-HETE synthesis reduces polycystic kidney disease in an orthologous rat model of ARPKD.

20-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) has been implicated as a potential mediator in epithelial cell proliferation and cyst formation in polycystic kidney disease (PKD). In the present study, we studied the effects of chronic blockade of 20-HETE synthesis in an orthologous rodent model of autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD), the PCK rat. RT-PCR analysis indicated that the expression of CYP4A1, CYP4A2, CYP4A3, and CYP4A8 mRNA was increased two- to fourfold in cystic PCK compared with noncystic Sprague-Dawley rat kidneys. Daily administration of a 20-HETE synthesis inhibitor, HET-0016 (10 mg x kg(-1) x day(-1) ip) for 4-7 wk significantly reduced kidney size by 24% from 4.95 +/- 0.19 g in vehicle-treated PCK rats to 3.76 +/- 0.15 g (n = 4). Collecting tubule morphometric cystic indices were reduced in HET-0016-treated PCK rats (2.1 +/- 0.2; n = 4) compared with vehicle-treated PCK rats (4.4 +/- 0.1; n = 4). The cellular mechanism by which 20-HETE may play a role in cyst formation has not been well characterized, but there was a significantly lower (P < 0.05) level of intracellular cAMP and decreased phosphorylation (activation) of ERK1/2 protein in PCK rat kidneys (n = 3) treated with HET-0016 . These studies indicate a potential role of 20-HETE in cyst formation in the orthologous rodent PCK model of ARPKD.